strides. Of one thing I must be careful: that Theodahad and
Gothelindis do not escape to Byzantium; it would be too dangerous.
Perhaps the question of the astute Empress was intended as a warning.
This royal couple must be put out of our way."

Having completed his arrangements, Petros sent for the friend with whom
he lodged, and took leave of him. At the same time he delivered to him
a dark-coloured narrow vase, such as those which were used for the
preservation of documents; he sealed the cover with his ring, which was
finely engraved with a scorpion, and wrote a name upon the wax-tablet
appended to it.

"Seek this man," he said to his host, "at the next assembly of the
Goths at Regeta, and give him the vase; the contents are his. Farewell.
You shall soon see me again in Ravenna."

He left the house with his slaves, and was soon on board the
ambassador's ship; filled with proud expectations, he was borne away by
the _Nemesis_.

As his ship, many weeks after, neared the harbour of Byzantium--he had,
at the Empress's wish, announced his speedy arrival at Lampsacus, by
means of an imperial swift-sailer which was just leaving--Petros looked
at the handsome country houses on the shore, which shone whitely from
out of the evergreen shade of the surrounding gardens.

"Here you will live in future, amongst the senators of the Empire," he
thought with great contentment.

Before they ran into the harbour, the _Thetis_, the splendid
pleasure-boat of the Empress, flew towards them, and, as soon as she
recognised the galley of the ambassador, hoisted the purple standard,
as a sign to lay to.

Very soon a messenger from the Empress came on board the galley. It was
Alexandros, the former ambassador to the court of Ravenna. He showed to
the captain of the galley a writing from the Emperor, at which the
captain appeared to be much startled; then he turned to Petros.

"In the name of the Emperor Justinian! You are condemned for life,
convicted of long-practised forgery and embezzlement of the taxes, to
the metal-works in the mines of Cherson, with the Ultra-Ziagirian Huns.
You have delivered the daughter of Theodoric into the hands of her
enemies. The Emperor thought you excused when he read your letter; but
the Empress, inconsolable for the death of her royal sister, revealed
your former guilt to the Emperor, and a letter from the Prefect of Rome
proved that you had secretly planned the murder of the Princess with
Gothelindis. Your fortune is confiscated, and the Empress wishes you to
recollect--" here he whispered into the ear of Petros, who was
completely stunned and broken by this terrible blow--"that you
yourself, in your letter, advised her to get rid of all the sharers of
her secrets."

With this, Alexandros returned to the _Thetis_, but the _Nemesis_
turned her stern to Byzantium, and bore the criminal away for ever from
all civilised community with mankind.

CHAPTER VIII.

We have lost sight of Cethegus ever since his departure for Rome.

During the events which we have described, he had been extremely active
in that city, for he saw that things were coming to a crisis, and
looked forward with confidence to a favourable result.

All Italy was united in hatred against the barbarians, and who could so
well direct this hatred as the head of the conspiracy of the Catacombs,
and the master of Rome?

For now he was so in fact. The legions were fully formed and equipped,
and the fortifications of the city--the works of which had been carried
on for the last few months night and day--were almost completed.

And, as he thought, he had finally succeeded preventing an immediate
incursion of the Byzantine army into Italy, the greatest calamity which
threatened his ambitious plans. He had learned, through trustworthy
spies, that the Byzantine fleet--which, till now had been anchored off
Sicily--had really left that island, and sailed towards the African
coast, where seemed occupied in suppressing piracy.

Cethegus certainly foresaw that it would yet come to a landing of the
Greeks in Italy; he could not do without their help. But it was
material to his plans that the Emperor's assistance should be of
secondary importance, and, to insure this, he must take care that,
before a single Byzantine had set foot in Italy, a rebellion of the
Italians should have taken place spontaneously, and have been already
carried to such a point, that the later co-operation of the Greeks
would appear to be a mere incident, and could be easily repaid by the
acknowledgment of a light supremacy of the Emperor.

To this end he had prepared his plans with great nicety.

As soon as the last tower on the Roman walls was under roof, the Goths
were to be attacked on one and the same day all over Italy, and, at one
stroke, all the fortresses, castles, and towns--Rome, Ravenna, and
Neapolis foremost--were to be overpowered and taken.

If the barbarians were once driven into the open country, there was no
fear--considering their complete ignorance of the art of siege, and the
number and strength of the Italian fortresses--that they would be able
to take these last, and thereby again become masters of the peninsula.

Then an allied army from Byzantium might aid in finally driving the
Goths over the Alps; and Cethegus was resolved to prevent these allies
from entering the most important fortresses, so that, later, they also
might be got rid of without difficulty.

To ensure the success of this plan, it was necessary that the Goths
should be taken by surprise. If war with Byzantium were in prospect,
or, still worse, already broken out, it naturally followed that the
barbarians would not allow their fortified places to be wrested from
them by a mere stroke of the hand.

Now as Cethegus--since he had penetrated the motives of the embassy of
Petros--fully expected that Justinian would come forward at the first
opportunity, and as he had barely succeeded in preventing the landing
of Belisarius, he was resolved not to lose a moment's time.

He had arranged that a general meeting of the conspirators should take
place in the Catacombs on the day of the completion of the Roman
fortifications, when their successful termination should be celebrated,
the moment of the attack on the Goths decided, and Cethegus himself
designated as the leader of this purely Italian movement.

He hoped to overcome the opposition of the timorous or the bribed--who
were inclined to act only for and with the assistance of Byzantium--by
the enthusiasm of the Roman youth, whom he would promise to lead at
once to battle.

Before the day of meeting arrived, he had heard the news of
Amalaswintha's murder, and of the confusion and division of the Goths,
and he impatiently longed for the crisis.

At length the last tower of the Aurelian Grate was completed. Cethegus
himself gave the finishing stroke, and as he did so it seemed to him
that he heard the sound of the blow which would liberate Rome and
Italy.

At the banquet which he afterwards gave to thousands of labourers in
the theatre of Pompey, most of the conspirators were present, and the
Prefect made use of the opportunity to show them how unlimited was his
popularity. Upon the younger members the impression which he wished and
expected to make was produced, but a small party, headed by Silverius,
retired from the tables with discontented and gloomy looks.

The priest had lately seen that Cethegus would not consent to be a mere
tool, but that he contrived to carry out his own plans, which might
prove extremely dangerous to the Church and to his (the priest's)
personal influence. He was decided to overthrow his colleague as soon
as he could be spared, and it had not been difficult for him to excite
the jealousy of many Romans against Cethegus.

The wily archbishop had taken advantage of the presence of the two
bishops from the Eastern Empire, Hypatius of Ephesus and Demetrius of
Philippi--who secretly treated with the Pope in matters of faith, and
with King Theodahad in affairs of policy--to enter into a close and
secret alliance with Theodahad and Byzantium.

"You are right, Silverius," grumbled Scævola, as they issued from the
doors of the theatre, "the Prefect unites Marius and Cæsar in one
person."

"He does not throw away such immense sums for nothing," said the
avaricious Albinus warningly; "we must not trust him too far."

"Beloved brethren," said the priest, "see that you do not lightly
condemn a member of our community. Who should do this would be worthy
of hell-fire! Certainly Cethegus commands the fists of the workmen as
well as the hearts of his young 'knights;' and it is well, for he can
therewith break the tyranny----"

"But at the same time he could replace it by new despotism," interrupted
Calpurnius.

"That he shall not, if daggers can still kill, as in the time of
Brutus!" cried Scævola.

"Bloodshed is not necessary. Consider; the nearer the tyrant, the more
oppressive the tyranny; the farther the ruler, the more bearable his
government. The power of the Prefect must be balanced by the power of
the Emperor."

"Yes," affirmed Albinus, who had received large sums from Byzantium,
"the Emperor must become master of Italy."

"That is," said Silverius, restraining Scævola, who would have
interrupted indignantly, "we must keep down the Prefect by means of the
Emperor, and the Emperor by means of the Prefect. See, we have arrived
at the door of my house. Let us enter. I must tell you in confidence
what will be made known to the assembly to-night. It will surprise you;
but other people still more."

Meanwhile the Prefect had also hurried home from the banquet, to
prepare for his important work by lonely meditation.

He did not think over his speech; he knew long ago what he had to say;
and, a splendid orator, to whom